San Luis Obispo

Located 3 miles southwest of downtown San Luis Obispo, suburban Billygoat Acres is bordered west by the sprawling Irish Hills Natural Reserve. "Here you have close proximity to hiking trails, shopping and dining, with easy access to the 101 freeway,” says area resident Jeannie Pleasant, an agent with San Luis Bay Realty. “You’re close to everything.” Set on the city's far west side, the neighborhood is 14 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. “It’s cooler here and has a little bit more of a breeze than the traditional in-town San Luis Obispo neighborhood,” says city resident Lindsey Harn, a Realtor with Christie’s International Real Estate Sereno. About a mile west of Billygoat Acres, the small, public Laguna Lake is a popular spot for kayaking, paddleboarding and more. The 720-acre Irish Hills Natural Reserve is just west, offering nearly 10 miles of hiking and biking trails that are accessible from neighborhood trailheads. One of these, the Irish Hills Trailhead, is found in the neighborhood's DeVaul Park, which also has a playground and basketball court. On the neighborhood’s northeast side, the public,10-hole Laguna Lake Municipal Golf Course is next door to the Kiwanis Centennial Community Garden, where residents can rent plots to grow flowers and veggies. Less than 2 miles east, Laguna Lake is popular with kayakers and paddleboarders, and the adjacent Laguna Lake Park as a disc golf course, a playground and a sand volleyball court, as well as a large barbeque area with plenty of picnic tables. Residents can walk their dogs along the park's 2-mile walking trail or let them play off-leash at the large dog park. The closest shopping and dining is found along the major throughfares of Los Osos Valley Road and Madonna Road. Southeast, at the intersection of both, the Laguna Village Shopping Center has a Grocery Outlet and a CVS, as well as locally owned eateries like Laguna Grill, a sports bar that serves burgers and brews, and Sushiya, which offers sushi rolls and teppanyaki-style cuisine. Also here, Nautical Bean serves up specialty lattes and baked goods. Within a mile of the neighborhood, residents can find Target, Whole Foods Market and Costco Wholesale, as well as retailers like Nordstrom Rack and restaurants like Olive Garden. “Billygoat Acres tends to be a little bit more affordable than some of the other areas of San Luis Obispo,” Harn says. “You can still get a home here for under $1 million.” Most local homes are ranch-style houses from the 1970s and '80s, many with Spanish-style details like clay-tiled roofs and stucco exteriors. In the neighborhood’s southwest corner, though, the De Tolosa Ranch subdivision is made up of one- and two-story new traditional homes from the early 2000s. According to Pleasant, prices for both of these home styles start at around $800,000, and larger homes with views of the Irish Hills can go up to $1.4 million. On the neighborhood’s north end, the manufactured homes of Laguna Lake Mobile Home Estates start at $250,000 for modest units, and range to $450,000 for larger units with upgrades. The neighborhood is zoned for San Luis Coastal Unified School District, which Niche rates an overall A and names as San Luis Obispo County’s top school district. Local kids can start school at C.L. Smith Elementary, rated a B-plus, and continue to the A-rated Laguna Middle; both are set just east, near Laguna Lake. At San Luis Obispo High, also rated an A, students can take career courses in fields ranging from agriculture to arts, media and entertainment. Each July, Laguna Lake Park hosts the Central Coast Renaissance Festival, a two-day event with Elizabethan music, battle reenactments and falconry shows. Events in Downtown San Luis Obispo include the Downtown SLO Farmers Market on Thursday evenings, and Mission Plaza’s Music in the Plaza — the Central Coast’s largest free concert series — held on Fridays during the summer. Highway 101 is about a mile east, leading 3 miles northeast to Downtown San Luis Obispo. Billygoat Acres is bordered by two major thoroughfares, Los Osos Valley Road to the east and Madonna Road to the south; both are lined with SLO Transit bus stops. Dignity Health’s French Hospital Medical Center about 4 miles northeast near downtown, and the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport is about 5 miles southeast, with nonstop flights to hubs throughout the West.

About 1 mile northwest of Downtown San Luis Obispo, suburban Bishops Knoll offers a convenient location for residents looking to be close to downtown restaurants, retailers and events, as well as California Polytechnic State University, located 1 mile northeast. “A lot of people live in the neighborhood who want to be able to bike to the university, whether they work there or attend school,” says San Luis Obispo resident Lindsey Harn, a Realtor with Christie’s International Real Estate Sereno. In addition to being a popular home base for university students and employees living off-campus, Bishops Knoll is home to many families with young children and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. “You’re close to really highly rated elementary schools, and you have great access to hiking at Bishops Peak and Cerro San Luis,” says area resident Susie Brans, a broker associate at Richardson Sotheby’s International Realty. Harn also adds that the neighborhood is desirable among San Luis Obispo residents looking for easy access to the coast about 10 miles west, particularly surfers who frequent Los Osos. Residents in Bishops Knoll have access to hiking trails at both Bishop Peak to the north and Cerro San Luis to the south, known locally as Madonna Mountain. There are several trailheads for each throughout the area. The 4-mile hike to Bishop Peak can be accessed from the trailhead on Foothill Boulevard on the neighborhood's west side, and the 4-mile hike to the summit of Madonna Mountain can be accessed from the Rock Garden Trailhead off Serrano Drive on the neighborhood’s south end. Both peaks offer panoramic views of San Luis Obispo from an elevation of over 1,200 feet. Just east of Highway 1, Santa Rosa Park has a large playground for kids, as well as a softball field and multipurpose fields for football and soccer. The park is also home to a skate park and a rink for in-line and roller skating. Locals can pick up groceries at California Fresh Market in the neighborhood’s northeast corner on Foothill Boulevard. This half mile stretch of Foothill Boulevard from the grocery store to Highway 1 to the east is also home to a variety of locally owned eateries. Raku Ramen is a local favorite for Japanese fare, while Milestone Tavern is a go-to for brews and bar bites. Residents can stop in for a specialty latte and a scone at Scout Coffee, and those with a sweet tooth can pay a visit anytime of the day or night to SloDoCo Donuts, which has plenty of vegan and gluten free options. Retail shopping can be found a mile away in Downtown San Luis Obispo, where retailers like Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Banana Republic have storefronts. Downtown is also home to locally owned boutiques like Pippa & Ky for women’s clothing and accessories, and Finders Keepers for secondhand treasures. Homes in Bishops Knoll date back to the mid 20th century. "It’s a more established neighborhood, so it’s a lot of post-war homes,” Harn says. Buyers can primarily find ranch-style homes from throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s, though Brans says that many have been updated and renovated over the years. “Because of the proximity to the campus, there are student rentals scattered throughout the neighborhood in addition to single-family homes,” she says. According to Harn, single-family homes start at around $800,000 and range to about $1.5 million. “Prices largely depend on lot size, mountain views and construction quality,” she says. "Entry level homes are kind of in the flatland area and then up a little further in elevation, homes tend to be a little bit bigger with better views.” The neighborhood is zoned for San Luis Coastal Unified School District, Niche’s pick for the county’s top school district, earning an overall A rating. While most students attend the A-minus-rated Bishop’s Peak Elementary, they may also attend the B-minus-rated Pacheco Elementary, a Spanish-immersion school with a lottery-based admissions system; both schools are just north. From there, students can attend the A-rated Laguna Middle followed by the A-rated San Luis Obispo High, where they can enroll in career and technical education courses in fields ranging from building and construction to fashion and interior design. Residents are a short drive away from popular downtown events, museums and performing arts venues. Every Thursday evening, the Downtown SLO Farmers Market hosts produce and craft vendor booths, which attendees can browse while enjoying live music and cuisine from local food trucks. During the summer months on Friday evenings, downtown’s Mission Plaza hosts music acts of all genres at Music in the Plaza, the Central Coasts largest free concert series. Residents can also check out the permanent and rotating exhibits featuring work from regional artists at the downtown San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, or catch an intimate music or comedy show at the Fremont Theatre. Residents can also catch touring music acts and plays at the larger San Luis Obispo Performing Arts Center on Cal Poly’s campus. Residents in Bishops Knoll can easily bike to campus or downtown. When commuting further distances, Highway 1 is just east of the neighborhood and leads to Highway 101 about a mile south. Highway 1 is lined with SLO Transit bus stops, along with Foothill Boulevard which borders the neighborhood to the north. Adventist Health Sierra Vista is just east of the neighborhood on the other side of Highway 1. With nonstop flights to major hubs throughout the west, the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport is about 5 miles southeast on State Route 227, known locally as Broad Street.